Wyoming
Wyoming Freedom Caucus gains momentum and ousts Speaker of the House Albert Sommers from the senate
Wyoming’s Speaker of the House and veteran of the Cowboy State lawmaking world will be out of politics for now. This political upset in the primaries marks a larger shift in state politics.
Sublette County rancher Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) lost the Republican race for Senate District 14, which serves much of southwest Wyoming. Laura Pearson of the Kemmerer-area won by about 200 votes, according to The Associated Press.
Pearson is new to the political scene. She’s a fourth generation sheep rancher, school bus driver and a small business owner. She’s endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. It’s a national political faction that’s gaining traction in the Wyoming Republican Party.
Sommers, who’s served in Sublette County’s state House seat since 2013 and has been a leader of the lawmaking body for two sessions, said this primary election marks a new chapter for Wyoming politics.
“I do have concerns, but ultimately we will see how they [the Freedom Caucus] lead, right?” Sommers said shortly after his race was called. “That remains to be seen. They haven’t been in power before, so you can’t say for sure how they will govern, but time will tell.”
After the primary, the Freedom Caucus is close to controlling half of the Wyoming House. In the Senate, they endorsed three other candidates – one of which won: Tim French held on to his seat in Senate District 18 representing much of Park County.
Generally speaking, the group emphasizes “family values,” “individual freedoms” and “limited government.” In Wyoming, that has meant supporting minimal federal government involvement, including funding for mental health and K-12 education programs. They also have touted climate-denial talking points that are largely disputed by the science community.
In recent years, Sommers has faced a lot of backlash from the Freedom Caucus. He’s supported by the more moderate, traditional Republican faction, the Wyoming Caucus.
In the 2023 legislative session, the Freedom Caucus was particularly upset by Sommers allowing several controversial bills die – something he could do as Speaker of the House. One was touted as a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would’ve limited what can be talked about in public schools. Sommers said this type of teaching was not happening in Wyoming schools and it strips local control, plus he added that he believed it was unconstitutional. This received state and national condemnation from the Freedom Caucus.
In this year’s budget session, the Freedom Caucus had enough members in the House to circumvent Sommers’ leadership. They said they did so to try to curb government spending and “bring government policy more in line with conservative values.”
Bills introduced during a budget session need two-thirds support. That meant the Freedom Caucus was able to band together to prevent 13 committee bills from being introduced on day one of the session. This turned heads, because committee bills are typically a shoe-in. They are crafted by lawmakers over the previous year, usually after tedious hours of deliberation between stakeholders.
Then, as election campaigning heated up this summer, Sommers received more backlash from the Freedom Caucus. Political Action Committees (PACs) tied to the group sent out mailers accusing Sommers of aligning more with Democratic values. The mailers also made generalized statements that Sommers opposed things like property tax relief for all and Second Amendment rights. In response, Sommers sent out mailers saying it isn’t true and that he “sides with Cowboys, not [Washington] D.C. Bureaucrats.”
In an interview after the primaries were called, Sommers said the negativity this campaign cycle was particularly disheartening.
“I was hoping Wyoming would reject that negativity, but they didn’t. That seems to be a winning formula,” Sommers said. “By all accounts, that negativity flipped the Republicans in Idaho, and it flipped the Republicans in South Dakota, and now it, apparently, has flipped in Wyoming.”
But Sommers said even though he didn’t win the Senate seat, the silver lining was that he still won the majority of the vote in his home area – Sublette County.
“Those are the folks that know me. So I feel good about that,” he said.
Sommers reflected on his over a decade tenure in the Wyoming legislature. Standout lawmaking moments included passing budgets during years of financial crisis for the state – like when oil dropped in the stock market and COVID. Also, funding the Wyoming’s Tomorrow Scholarship and Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resources Trust Fund.
But, he also said he just likes serving the people. He will miss that.
“It doesn’t feel weird yet. It likely will feel weird come next January, when everybody’s gearing up to go to Cheyenne, and I’m not. But you know, life goes on,” Sommers said. “Life goes on.”
He added that he will probably use his extra time to go on more trips and get out on the water fishing. He’ll stay out of politics – for now.
“I never close the door on anything,” he said. “I don’t know that I would run again, but who knows?”
As for passing on the lawmaking torch? Mike Schmid, a LaBarge Republican, will take over Sommers’ House District 20 seat. Schmid is a first-timer in the legislature. While not endorsed by the Freedom Caucus, he aligns with them on many issues and has donated $1,000 to the group’s PAC.
Pearson, who beat Sommers, campaigned on being pro-gun, pro-life, anti-transgender rights, pro-limited government and restructuring the property tax system. In an interview post-primary results, she said she wants to be a transparent voice for the people.
“The people are the employers and they have a right to know what’s going on down there [in Cheyenne],” Pearson said. “So that’s what I want to bring home. I, until now, was their [lawmakers’] employer too.”
Meaning, she was a constituent until now, and not a politician. She said she only recently started testifying during public comment on bills. What got her interested was the events surrounding 2020.
“I believe that the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump,” she said. “Then during COVID, I didn’t feel like our state was protecting our citizens.”
Despite numerous challenges to states’ 2020 election results and investigations, there has been no evidence that there was fraud in that election.
Pearson recognized that it was a close race between her and Sommers. Many of her constituents are staunch Sommers’ supporters.
“We can talk civilly, and we can respect each other’s opinions, and we can agree on some things and not agree on others,” Pearson said. “But I’m here to represent the people. It doesn’t matter whether they’re far-right or not.”
Pearson will take over the Senate District 14 seat early next year from retiring Sen. Fred Baldwin (R-Kemmerer). Meanwhile, Sommers will step down from his House seat early next year.
The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.
WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026
Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.
Class 1A
Paul McNiven – Burlington
Bitner Philpott – Burlington
Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)
Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville
Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie
Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)
Corbin Matthews – Lusk
Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)
Jace Westring – Saratoga
Hazen Williams – Saratoga
TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)
Nic Schiller – Upton
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WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026
1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026
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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26
WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026
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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26
WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026
WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26
Class 2A
Caleb Adsit – Big Horn
Chase Garber – Big Horn
Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)
Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain
Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni
Kade Mills – Sundance
Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Zak Hastie – Thermopolis
Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)
Joseph Kimbrell – Wright
Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)
Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian
Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)
Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian
The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.
Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026
Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw
A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.
One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.
Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”
The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”
The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.
It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.
The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.
Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”
Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”
The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.
SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.
Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”
Both bills go into effect July 1.
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.
Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.
The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.
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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.
The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.
Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.
With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.
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